Chennai, Sep 4 (IANS) India’s moon lander Vikram can hop around the moon it seems after the moon rover Pragyan went to sleep.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Vikram soft landed on the lunar soil for a second time.

In a post on X, ISRO said: “Vikram Lander exceeded its mission objectives. It successfully underwent a hop experiment.” “On command, it fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected and landed safely at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away.” 

According to the space agency, the kick start gives enthusiasm for lunar sample return in the future and also for manned missions to the moon.

“All systems performed nominally and are healthy. Deployed Ramp, ChaSTE and ILSA were folded back and redeployed successfully after the experiment,” ISRO said.

Sometime back, the Indian space agency uploaded the video Pragyan moving on the social media platform X and said: “It feels as though a child is playfully frolicking in the yards of Chandamama, while the mother watches affectionately. Isn't it?”

Now perhaps with the playful kid going to sleep the mother is hopping around!

India on August 23 reached the Moon with its lander safely landing on the lunar soil in a text book style.

Later the rover rolled down and started doing experiments.

ISRO said, the rover has found the presence of oxygen, aluminium, sulphur and other materials near the lunar south pole, while investigation regarding the presence of hydrogen is underway.

Chennai, Aug 30 (IANS) India’s moon rover has clicked a snap of its carrier -- the moon lander -- on the lunar soil, and the Indian space agency on Tuesday released the same.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday said: “Smile, please! Pragyan Rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander this morning. The image was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam). NavCams for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission are developed by the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS).”

Interestingly, ISRO has now called its moon lander as Vikram and the rover as Pragyan.

Earlier the Indian space agency termed them just as Lander and Rover.

The Indian space agency had called the lander and rover of its Chandrayaan-2 mission as Pragyan and Vikram. However, while attempting a soft landing on the moon, Vikram crashed down.

India on August 23 reached the Moon with its lander safely landing on the lunar soil in a textbook style. Later the rover rolled down and started doing experiments.

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its team for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3  on the Moon. 

PM Modi, who watched the landing live from Johannesburg, where he is currently participating in the BRICS summit, said: "I congratulate the ISRO team and scientists from the core of my heart for this accomplishment.

"It's a historic moment for us as Chandrayaan-3 lands on the Moon. I am in South Africa but like all Indians, my heart has sunk in the celebrations of Chandrayaan-3," he added. 

The Prime Minister further said: "Usually we would say, Chanda Maama Door Ke (Moon is far) but the future generation will say Chandra Maama Tour Ke (Moon is for a tour). Our mission is based on the same human-centric approach. This success belongs to humanity. I am confident all countries in the world are capable of achieving such feats." 

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) On Wednesday evening, India’s moon lander successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar soil as planned, and became the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat.

As per media reports, some private sector companies have worked with ISRO for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The aerospace wing of L&T was responsible for supplying crucial components for the launch vehicle of Chandrayaan 3. It supplied critical booster segments, namely the head-end segment, middle segment and nozzle bucket flange, among other things, as per reports.

Mishra Dhatu Nigam supplied critical materials such as cobalt base alloys, nickel base alloys, titanium alloys and special steels for various components of the launch vehicle used in the lunar mission.

The batteries for Chandrayaan-3 were supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals. Welding Research Institute (WRI) of BHEL was also responsible for supplying bi-metallic adaptors for Chandrayaan 3, as per reports.

MTAR Technologies reportedly manufactured key parts for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, including engines and booster pumps, reports said.

Godrej Aerospace reportedly produced key engines and thrusters including L110 for the core stage and CE20 engine thrust chamber for the upper stage.

Ankit Aerospace claims to have supplied alloy steel, stainless steel fasteners and specially-crafted titanium bolts, which are instrumental in enhancing mission durability and performance.

Walchandnagar Industries said it supplied critical booster segments S200 used in the launch vehicle, flex nozzle control tankages and S200 Flex nozzle hardware, as per media reports.

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) They were all men in the Chandrayaan-3 mission and they were confident of soft landing the country's moon lander on the lunar soil, a 'Mission Possible' after the failure of Chandrayaan-2.

Incidentally, unlike the Chandrayaan-2 mission, where a couple of women were in a lead role -- with Project Director M. Vanitha and Mission Director Ritu Karidhal Srivastava -- this time around it was an all male club.

In Chandrayaan-3, the Mission Director was Mohan Kumar and the Vehicle/Rocket Director was Biju C. Thomas.

"There are about 54 female engineers/scientists who worked directly in the Chandrayaan-3 mission. They are associate and deputy project directors and project managers of various systems working at different centres," a senior official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had told IANS preferring anonymity.

Well, the Men in Chandrayaan-3 are as follows:

Dr. S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO

Most of the Hindu names signify a God. In the case of S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space  Research Organisation (ISRO), the name means Master of the Moon.

Incidentally, it was his responsibility to see India’s moon lander soft lands successfully on Wednesday evening.

As a young engineer, Somanath dared to set right an anomaly along with two of his seniors in a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that was ready for a takeoff.

Normally in such a situation, the rocket launch would have been postponed, draining the fuel and other laborious processes. The other option was trying to set the problem right, when the rocket is fueled up-a risky proposition.

However, the three brave officials including the young Somanath set right the problem. The rocket lifted off safely and made the mission a success.

Nearly two decades later, as the head of ISRO, Somanath seems to have set right the issues that resulted in the crash landing of India’s first moon lander called Vikram.

Son of a Hindi teacher, Somanath was interested in science. Later he pursued B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering but had an active interest in rocketry.

Like a dream come true, in 1985 Somanath got a job with ISRO and joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, which was responsible for rockets.

Somanath took his B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam and Masters in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore with specialisation in Structures, Dynamics and Control.

Rising up the ranks, he joined GSLV MkIII Project during 2003 and was the Deputy Project Director responsible for overall design and integration of India’s heaviest and most powerful rocket. He was the Project Director of GSLV Mk-III (now LVM-3) from June 2010 to 2014.

Somanath also led the team of LPSC (ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre) to complete the development and qualification of CE20 cryogenic engine and the C25 stage, which was successfully flown in GSLV MkIII-D1 flight.

Prior to becoming ISRO Chairman, Somanath headed VSSC as its Director.

Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

He is a Distinguished Scientist heading the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) - India’s rocket centre - as well as a Malayalam short story writer.

Dr. S. Unnikrishnan, is a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Kerala University, ME in Aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and a doctorate in  Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

That apart, he also holds an MA in Telecommunications and Space Law from NALSAR, Hyderabad.

Unnikrishan began his career in VSSC in 1985 and was involved in the development of various aerospace systems and mechanisms for Indian rockets - PSLV, GSLV and LVM3.

He played a key role in the maiden orbital re-entry experiment, Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE), right from the study phase onwards to its mission accomplishment in 2007.

He was associated with Human Spaceflight Programme from its study phase since 2004 and was the Project director for Pre-project technology development activities.

Unnikrishnan led the project team for defining the Vehicle configuration, Systems engineering and in identifying various critical technology development areas to initiate the pre-project activities.

As founding Director of the youngest Centre in ISRO, the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) Unnikrishnan has led the team for Gaganyaan Project and established the Astronaut Training Centre at Bangalore in HSFC at Bangalore.

Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel, Project Director, Chandrayaan-3

Son of a railway employee, Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel always aimed for the skies. Hailing from Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, Veeramuthuvel completed his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and went on to get a Degree in Engineering. Later he did his PhD at IIT-Madras. He joined ISRO in 2014.

M. Shankaran, Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre

A Distinguished Scientist M. Shankaran took over as Director of U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), the lead Centre in the country for design, development and realisation of all satellites of ISRO, on June 1, 2021.

He is currently leading satellite fraternity to realise various types of satellites to meet the national requirements in the areas like communication, navigation, remote sensing, meteorology and inter-planetary exploration.

During his 35 years of experience in URSC/ISRO, he has contributed primarily in the areas of Solar arrays, Power systems, Satellite Positioning System and RF communication systems for Low Earth Orbit(LEO) Satellites, Geostationary Satellites, Navigation Satellites and Outer Space Missions like Chandrayaan, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and others.

He is now leading the efforts to the miniaturisation of avionics systems, indigenisation of electronics & power system components, micro/mini satellite bus development and others. He is also spearheading the avionics system design, realisation and qualification for the Gaganyaan Programme.

He joined the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), currently known as URSC after obtaining his Master's degree in Physics from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli in 1986.

Dr. V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre

He is the man providing the propulsion power to Indian rockets. Dr V.Narayanan, an Alumni of Indian Institute of Technology- Kharagpur and has taken his M.Tech with First Rank in Cryogenic Engineering in 1989 and Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering in 2001.

A rocket propulsion expert Narayanan joined ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities before becoming Director of the Centre. As Project Director for C25 Cryogenic Project, he led the team and successfully developed C25 Cryogenic Stage.

When India was denied the complex Cryogenic Propulsion Technology for GSLV Mk-II vehicle, Narayanan played a crucial role in the successful development of Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) and contributed in making it operational for the GSLV Mk II vehicle. 

He has guided the team and designed a 200-tonne thrust Lox-Kerosene Semi Cryogenic Rocket Engine.

During the initial period from 1984 to 1988 in ISRO, he also contributed to the Solid Propulsion System realisation for launch vehicles. As Associate Director of LPSC, he was guiding the liquid propulsion activities of ISRO and was instrumental in finalising the Liquid Propulsion Roadmap of ISRO for the next 20 years.

A.  Rajarajan, Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre

He first joined the India’s rocket centre – Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and over the years risen through the ranks and is now heading the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) that provides the solid fuel for the rocket and also the country’s rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

A Mechanical Engineer, Rajarajan joined VSSC’s Fiber Reinforced Plastics Division and over the years grew within the organisation and assumed additional challenges.

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) As Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the lunar soil on Wednesday evening, thousands of users on X (formerly Twitter) congratulated ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and its team for the historic mission.

"I'm speechless...in tears.. History has been created... What a Proud moment... India India India... #Chandrayaan3 #Chandrayaan3Landing," a user wrote.

"From cycle to India on the Moon - What a Journey..!!!! India has done it, ISRO has done it, We have done it - India, India, India," another user said.

With this historic feat, India became the first nation to make a successful landing on the moon's South Poll. 

"Historic Moment For India India Becomes The 1st Nation To Make A Successful Soft Landing On Moon’s South Pole Proud Moment For Every Indian ! Congratulations @isro #Chandrayaan3," a user said.

"A significant historical achievement for India as it becomes the first nation to successfully execute a soft lunar landing at the Moon's South Pole. A moment of pride for every Indian. JAI HIND! #Chandrayaan3 @isro," another user congratulated.

The lander landed near the South Pole of the moon after travelling about 3.84 lakh km for over 40 days.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).

After landing successfully, ISRO posted on X, "Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 'India, I reached my destination and you too!' :Chandrayaan-3".

"Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon !. Congratulations, India! #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3," it added.

The 19 minutes of suspense and excitement began at 5.45 p.m., as planned earlier, and ended at 6.05 p.m. with the lander touching down on the lunar soil.

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) India’s moon lander successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar soil on Wednesday evening as planned, and became the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat.

The lander landed near the South Pole of the moon after travelling about 3.84 lakh km for over 40 days.

With the landing, a major portion of the Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission has been realised. The remaining portion is the moon rover rolling down from the lander, moving around and doing the programmed experiments.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the moon rover has Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.

On its part, the lander too will carry out the tasks assigned to it with its payloads: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity around the landing site; Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations. A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies.

The mission life of the lander and the rover is 1 Lunar day or 14 Earth days, ISRO said

The propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.

The life of the payload carried by the propulsion module post ejection of the lander is between three and six months.

The 19 minutes of suspense and excitement began at 5.45 p.m., as planned earlier, and ended at 6.05 p.m. with the lander touching down on the lunar soil.

It may be recalled that the Vikram lander that was part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission a couple of years back had crashed on the moon while it was on the last phase of landing.

The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking.

Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.

The powered descent of the lander in a horizontal position began from an altitude of about 30 km at about 5.45 p.m. The automatic landing sequence got activated.

During the rough breaking phase the lander’s speed will be brought down from 1,680 metres per second to 358 metres per second. The altitude will be brought down 7.4 km above the moon.

The next phase was the altitude hold phase where the altitude was brought down to 6.8 km.

The officials seated at the Mission Operations Complex at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru, had their eyes glued to their monitors.

The lander’s position changed to vertical and the craft hovered 150 metres over the moon, taking pictures and surveying the landing zone to decide on a safe landing spot.

Then the safe landing happened with two engines on out of the four.

The primary communication channel will be the Mission Operations Complex at ISTRAC, Bengaluru, to Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module which in turn would talk to the lander and the rover.

Recently, the moon lander established communication links with the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s Orbiter that is circling the moon since 2019 and thereby having a backup talking channel.

Meanwhile, the propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 is continuing to go around the moon for some more period with its payload Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planetary Earth (SHAPE) doing its job.

The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India's heavy lift rocket LVM3.

The spacecraft completed orbiting around the Earth and headed towards the moon on August 1.